Blizzard on Shrines and more

Posted By: April 14, 2010

Today Bashiok took a break from his CM responsibilities in regards to Blizzard’s other, lesser games, and returned to Diablo 3 with a flurry of quickie posts. Quotes below:

A fan asks about Shrines in Diablo 3, and suggest some shrine-like party buffs that might be included. Bashiok’s reply: (Also see the Talisman page for details about how stat boosting will be handled with items in D3.)

Shrine buffs apply to the entire party as long as they’re in range.

As far as “power-up orbs” it’s something I thought of as well, which usually means the designers thought of it a year+ ago. Not as a shrine replacement though, but as a replacement for buff scrolls/elixirs. I just either forget to use them or let them sit afraid of wasting them. So they just take up bag space. I face the same dilemma in WoW and usually just end up throwing them on the AH because I realize I’ll never use them. Obviously some people are better than me, and able to remember to use them, as they usually sell.

Another fan is unhappy that the SC2:CE will contain a WoW pet. Bashiok is unsympathetic.

Referring to the StarCraft II Collector’s Edition – the inclusion of a WoW pet doesn’t hurt you. You’ll be ok.

A fan who missed one of the biggest debates in the history of Diablo 3 asks if D3’s attributes will work just like the do in WoW. Bashiok answers:

Not really, they’re referred to by the masses as “auto-stats”. Meaning every level your base stats automatically grow. There will still obviously be ways to customize your stats through various systems though. Itemization being one of them. And some other stuff. So yes you will be able to customize your stats, but it won’t be by gaining a number to distribute every level and pumping them into the base stats directly.

A fan shares some love for the prettiness of Diablo 3’s graphics, and is congratulated for his erudition by Bashiok:

Our artists are stupidly awesome. Nothing to make someone (me) feel more inadequate than seeing their work get more and more amazing, and then looking down at my notepad filled with stick figures and transparent cubes.